


dog in distress

by ga_bi



Series: Marauders Era - Slices of Life [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Animagus, Anxious Remus Lupin, Apparating (Harry Potter), Baby Harry Potter, Crack Treated Seriously, Dogs, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Everybody Lives, F/F, F/M, Family Dinners, Family Fluff, Flirting, Fluff, Found Family, Friendship, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, James Potter Lives, James Potter Ships Remus Lupin/Sirius Black, Light Angst, Lily Evans Potter Lives, Living Together, M/M, Marauders, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Marlene McKinnon Lives, Mentioned Peter Pettigrew, Mentioned Ron Weasley, Mentioned Voldemort (Harry Potter), Missing Persons, Multi, Nighttime, POV Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew in Azkaban, Remus Lupin & James Potter Friendship, Rescue Missions, Sex Jokes, Sirius Black's Flying Motorbike, Snow, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:15:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28698291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ga_bi/pseuds/ga_bi
Summary: Remus isn't expecting to wake up with Sirius missing.Can he and James find him before it's too late?Featuring a healthy amount of fluff, crack, and worry.
Relationships: Benjy Fenwick/Mary Macdonald, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Marlene McKinnon/Dorcas Meadowes, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Series: Marauders Era - Slices of Life [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2104959
Comments: 6
Kudos: 71





	1. moony and prongs to the rescue

It was 2am, and Remus Lupin was cold. 

If one were to inquire about the warmth of Remus Lupin as he slept over the years, ‘cold’ would be an acceptable answer, at least for the first fifteen years of his life. But since he was fifteen, he had never been cold at 2am. In fact, he was almost uncomfortably warm each night.

Why?

Sirius Black.

The two had begun dating since their sixth year, and had slept curled next to each other for two years before that. Remus Lupin was twenty-three now, and the war was over, and his friends were alive, and he and Sirius were happily dancing around the question of engagement. 

The two of them lived together, in a little flat in Soho paid by Sirius’ inheritance from his Uncle Alphard and Remus’ money from various odd jobs (he had insisted that Sirius shouldn’t have to pay for the entire amount). Each night, they cuddled each other in bed. Sometimes, their jobs required them to come home at ungodly hours, but they were always home before midnight.

So, for these reasons, it was strange that Remus Lupin was cold at 2am. 

He had grown accustomed to the heat that came from another body-- _Sirius’_ body-- over the years. The lack of heat in the nighttime was frightening and disturbing. 

Remus woke with a start. Unable to sleep in the cold, he glanced at the clock. 

_Where was he?_

He was getting worried now, and pulled the covers off of his pale, scarred legs. With fumbling hands, he reached for the light, and tugged on a pair of slacks when the light blinded him. He padded over to the kitchen, turning on the lights as he went. 

It was empty.

He had half-expected to see Sirius curled on the couch with a bottle of Firewhiskey, as he did sometimes when the memories of everything he had gone through had become too much. 

The emptiness was somehow worse, because it was 2am and Sirius had never done this before and Remus had no idea where he was. 

“Fuck,” he exhaled, running a hand over his tired face. He quickly dialed James’ number with the other.

It took a few moments until James’ sleepy voice crackled over his phone. “Padfoot?” he mumbled, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Remus,” he said quickly, but his stomach dropped with dread. If James didn’t know where he was… then no one would know.

James sounded a bit more alert now. “Moony? What’s wrong, is everything okay?”

“Sirius is gone,” he said quickly, “he never came home, I- I don’t know where he is,” he said, his voice shaking despite himself.

_What if he was in trouble? What if his mother had gotten to him? What if he was mugged, or lying in an alley, or had spun out of control on his motorbike?_

“He’ll be alright, take a breath, Moony,” James said clearly over the phone, and Remus, whose breaths had been coming out ragged for the past few minutes, followed his advice. 

There was a rustling over the phone, and another sleepy tone joined James’ voice. Remus could make out Lily’s worried, “Who is it?” 

He was already pulling his coat and shoes on by the time James responded, “Moony.”

“I’m going to go look for him,” he said shakily, and before he could hang up, Lily hurriedly spoke into the phone. 

“James is coming with. Stay there, he’ll Apparate over in a moment. I’ll stay with the kids, alright?” Remus could make out the sound of a kiss over the phone, and then James’ voice was clear in his ear. 

“I’ll be right over, Moony. I’ll meet you outside.”

Remus said a hoarse, “yeah,” into the phone before hanging up and pulling on a pair of gloves. He grabbed his wand and keys and stuck them into his pocket, wrenching the door open and dashing out into the hallway. He locked it hurriedly and raced down the stairs, not looking back.

James was waiting outside in the snow, his eyes tired but alert. He was wringing his hands together in worry when Remus found him. 

“His motorbike’s here,” James said, tugging his scarf.

“So he came home, then,” Remus acknowledged, worry tightening around his neck like a noose. _Why hadn’t he come inside?_

“I saw some paw prints by it,” James continued. “Maybe he went on a walk?”

“He wouldn’t be gone this long,” Remus reasoned, “something is definitely wrong.”

The two of them set out to follow the prints, their breaths coming out in white puffs against the cold air. 

After about ten minutes of anxious silence, the tracks stopped. But not in the sense that Remus thought they would. Sirius’ footprints didn’t replace them. Instead, the snow was displaced, as if there had been--

“A scuffle of some kind,” James said nervously, kneeling down next to the tracks. He looked up now, to where he could see a clear set of human footprints walking to intercept Padfoot. The footprints returned towards the road, and Remus had never been so immensely grateful for the snowfall earlier that evening. A little ways across the road was a darkened, squat little building. A van was parked outside. 

A small sigh of anxiety or relief slipped from James’ lips. Remus squinted to read the sign in the dark.

**SOHO POUND**

“He must be inside,” he said after a moment, and James nodded. With a small flicker of concentration, the two of them Apparated into the building. 

Instantly, they were rewarded with the barking and yipping of countless dogs. It was dark, and with a quiet incantation, James’ wand was lit, enveloping the two of them in a bright light.

“Padfoot?” Remus called out instantly, lighting his own wand and moving along the various cages.

His heart sank as he realized the sheer amount of dogs that were caged here. All of them had been collected for the same purpose: they were a nuisance, and people didn’t want them on the streets. Their purpose was to be killed. A small amount of lucky ones would be adopted by a little boy or girl, but the majority of them….

With this terrifying thought, Remus moved on quickly, calling for Padfoot at every opportunity. He could faintly hear James from the other end of the shelter-- they had agreed to split up to cover more ground. 

At the very last row of cages, he was greeted with a familiar sight-- a giant, shaggy black dog who was barking anxiously. 

Padfoot. Sirius.

At the sight of Remus, his tail wagged, and Remus opened the lock on the tiny cage with a quick _Alohomora_. Padfoot immediately jumped into his arms, and Remus clutched onto him. 

“You had me so worried,” he murmured into his soft black fur. Sirius transformed back, and hugged him tightly.

“I’m so sorry, Moons. I swear, I tried to run-- but they got me with some eklectrity thing-- I don’t know. I just wanted to go on a walk, y’know, clear my head,” he mumbled, tears slipping out of his eyes. “I couldn’t Apparate or change back-- the cage was too small, and I was so scared.”

Remus nodded. He had known the toll those few days in Azkaban had taken on Sirius. Lily and James had defeated Voldemort in their home and discovered that Peter had betrayed their position, but Sirius had still been targeted by the Ministry for his supposed untrustworthiness. It was only after Lily and James had yelled profanities at the Ministry for a few days and demanded that they release Sirius that he was able to get out of Azkaban. Sirius, despite only being there for a couple of days, had been forced to relive all of his worst moments from the dementors. Slipping into his animagus form was a way he could dull some of his emotions and make them less complex.

“It’s alright, I’m here now,” he said as he hugged him. “I’m just glad you’re okay.” Remus kissed him, his hands still shaking, and the two of them got to their feet. 

“I wish we could help them somehow,” Sirius said mournfully, looking at the dogs in their cages, who had quieted and were now whining softly. “They kept telling me how scared they were.”

“Maybe… we could help them,” Remus said slowly. “If you turned back into a dog… maybe shepherded them out of here somehow? Told them about the dangers of humans? And I’m sure some of our friends would love to have a dog,” he said with a smile.

Sirius’ forlorn expression turned excited, and he kissed Remus quickly. “I’m so glad I’m dating a smarty pants.”

Remus rolled his eyes, but his cheeks tinged pink and he and Sirius got to work unlocking the cages. Sirius transformed into Padfoot, and began barking orders (literally) to the other dogs. 

This is how Remus found himself walking through a pitch-black pound in Soho with his animagus boyfriend and a sea of dogs in the dead of night.

They met up with James, who had had the same idea as them. A swarm of puppies followed him, yapping excitedly. He held one in his arms. “Think Lils will mind?” 

They made their way back to Remus and Sirius’ flat, and Sirius had given the dogs orders to stay away from certain streets and to take care of each other. Throughout their journey, James had convinced Remus that the best course of action would be to give some of their friends a dog and drop them off in the middle of the night.

For Marlene and Dorcas, an old, sweet mutt who liked licking Remus’ hand on the journey over. The two tired women welcomed him with open arms when they opened their door.

For Sirius’ brother Regulus, who he had reconciled with a few years prior: a tiny little Bernese Mountain puppy. He had opened the door with a grumble, his dark eyes wary and bunny slippers on his feet. 

“What is that,” he stated rather than questioned, but Remus saw the way his eyes softened and the hint of a smile twitched upon his lips. 

As they left, Remus could hear him calling the dog a good girl in a high-pitched, excited tone.

They gave Mary Macdonald and Benjy Fenwick quite a fright when they appeared on their doorstep, and the two of them had robes hastily pulled around them and swollen, reddened lips. They welcomed the old Beagle with soft smiles and shut the door rather quickly when Sirius commented slyly on Mary’s exposed hickeys. 

Having rescued all the dogs, they found their work to be done. The three of them Apparated to James and Lily’s home, where they said goodbye to James. He held an easily-excitable, wriggling Golden Retriever puppy in his arms. 

“See you lot tomorrow for dinner, then,” he yawned, opening his door. “Reckon Lily will have my head for this?”

“She’ll see it as a noble act, Prongs,” Sirius grinned, petting the dog’s soft ears. Remus yawned-- James’ yawning was contagious-- and shot a grateful smile towards James.

“Thanks for helping me find him,” he said, squeezing Sirius’ free hand. 

“It makes for a good story,” James grinned, and saluted the two of them before heading inside. 

Remus and Sirius turned to each other. “Ready?” Remus asked him.

“Ready,” Sirius agreed, and they Apparated home.


	2. we can all laugh about it now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the marauders & co. have their weekly dinner together and reminisce about the odd circumstances in which they got their dogs.

“Wait-- you’re telling me you freed _all of them_?” Marlene McKinnon was in such hysterics that her fianceé Dorcas Meadowes had to pat her back to make sure she didn’t choke on her own laughter. 

“Yep,” Remus said lazily, as if he was sharing a bit of funny information, “and Sirius still meets up with them for brunch on Sundays.”

Dorcas, who had been sipping her glass of wine, had to cover her mouth so she didn’t spit it out all over the table. 

“I’ll have you know they’re an incredibly dignified group,” Sirius said with an exaggerated air of pompousness, which caused Regulus to scowl and James to let out a snort of laughter.

Lily rolled her eyes and looked fondly over to the living room, where all their dogs were playing. “At least we got something good out of it.”

“Didn’t Sirius almost _die_?” Benjy pointed out with a raising of his eyebrows.

Sirius let out a scoff at the same time Remus nodded.

“Aww, my Moony was so worried! It was adorable, really,” Sirius said, grinning wickedly and attempting to poke his cheek.

“Shut up,” Remus said, swatting his hand away, “if James and I hadn’t found you you would have likely been killed by the morning.”

“Yeah, they kill the most troublesome ones first,” James laughed. 

Sirius pouted, but it was all in good humour. 

“Anyway, after we decided to free them all, we paid a visit to you all! If I do recall, Mary and Benjy were having a bit of a sex fest, but-”

Before Sirius could even continue, Mary had spit her wine all over Regulus, who looked disgusted (at both the subject matter and alcohol on his hair), and Benjy had scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Lily had devolved into loud cackles, and James was giggling behind a napkin. Remus grinned despite himself.

“Pa’foot, whassa sex fest?” Harry appeared at the edge of the table, tugging on Sirius’ sleeve with one hand and rubbing his eyes with the other. The adults paled. 

“Uhh…. it’s something that adults do together, Prongslet. Nothing for you to worry about yet,” he said with a reassuring grin, appearing much more put together than he felt.

Harry looked disappointed. “So not with Won?” Lily jumped up at this point, and Marlene had to drink more to hide her sniggering. Even Regulus looked amused. 

“Love, that’s something that you’ll understand when you’re older. Trust me, it’s not even that fun!” she said with a bright smile to hide her anxious tone. At her comment, James let out a gasp of indignation. 

“So thas why Auntie Mawy and Uncle Benjy look weiwd now?” 

Despite his young age, Harry was very bright, and James leaped up from the table. “Let’s get you back to bed, Fawn!” he scooped him up with both hands, zooming him around as if he was on a broom. He was delighted when Harry began to giggle and yell, “Quidditch!” 

“I’ll check on Mia, too,” James said with a soft peck to Lily’s cheek before having Harry wave goodbye to the table. 

Mia was their daughter, who was only one year old, and named after James’ mother Euphemia. She had pale skin, soft hazel eyes, and jet-black hair. Harry, who was almost two and a half, was the spitting image of James. He was named for Lily’s late father Harrison. 

As James and Harry departed from the room, Regulus stood up as well, wiping his face with a wet napkin. “I think I should head out, I’ve got a long day tomorrow. Thank you for having me. Give my best to James and the kids.”

“Of course, Reggie!” Lily beamed, and hugged him. She pointedly ignored Regulus’ familiar scowl at being called anything other than his given name (although Lily had noticed that he tended to fabricate his discomfort to keep up his image). Sirius patted his brother awkwardly on the shoulder, and Regulus nodded his head to the others politely. He called for his dog, calling her a good girl and stepped out of their house before Disapparating. 

After a few more minutes, Mary sighed, standing up and downing her wine in one go. “We’d best be off then as well.”

“Mhm, got to hurry home for more shenanigans,” Lily said with a wry smile. 

Mary and Benjy groaned as Sirius, Remus, Marlene, and Dorcas laughed. “Got to think before you speak next time,” Lily said cheerfully, kissing her friends on each cheek. 

“I think we’re going to head home as well. Dorcas and I haven’t had a proper sex fest in a few hours,” Marlene said with a smirk, kissing her fianceé hungrily. 

“Merlin’s balls, Moony, think we should do that too?” Sirius said loudly with a snarky grin, and Remus playfully smacked his arm. 

While Lily busied herself with saying goodbye to everyone, Remus leaned in close to Sirius, gripping the other man’s waist with his hand and whispering in his ear, “Oh, we definitely will be, not to worry.” Remus was pleased to see that after he pulled away, Sirius’ face and neck had flushed beautifully. “Can’t wait to ravish you,” he said intensely, whispering at Sirius with a grin. 

Sirius shivered and blushed even more, and Marlene shot Sirius a knowing expression before blowing them all kisses and heading out the door.

“Seeya!” Benjy called as he and Mary headed out with Dorcas and Marlene (dogs included). Two cracks of Disapparition followed after a few minutes.

The three adults that were left decided to hang out in the living room for a bit. Sirius, Remus, and Lily talked about things that they couldn’t when the others were there. After about ten minutes, they realized that James hadn’t come down from the upstairs in awhile. Lily, with a devious smirk on her face, pressed a finger to her lips as they all crept up the stairs.

In the kids’ bedroom lay James, fast asleep on a soft armchair with a picture book lying open on his lap. His soft snores had been comforting to Harry and Mia, who were sleeping as well. Their puppy, Felix Felicis (Felix for short), and Crookshanks, their kneazle kitten, had each commandeered one of James’ socked feet and curled around them. 

Remus lovingly watched Harry and Mia’s sleeping forms as Lily motioned Sirius over to James’ prone figure. With a quick Accio charm, she had summoned a bottle of whipped cream, and liberally began to spread it on James’ eyebrows, cheeks and mouth. 

Sirius, who had been taking pictures this whole time, was overcome with silent giggles. “Lils, turn your face a bit-- _there_ ,” he said with a wheeze as he caught her goofy, evil expression. Remus, standing in the doorway, chuckled and shook his head.

He would never get tired of his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here were my original plot notes:
> 
> Prompt: padfoot galivants around london & gets caught by the pound. remus notices that hes not anywhere & he goes to rescue him. lol. war over au bc Everyone Lives Yay. they are 23!!! toddler harry awwww…. Anyway then they all have their friday night din din @ the potters & talk about it heheheehe >:))  
> Marlene & dorcas being BAMF wlw ofc  
> Peter pettigrew is in AZKABAN!!! :D  
> Lily has another baby!! A daughter bc its canon & yea harry deserves to have a sibling & jily needs multiple babies bc they the cutest couple ever other than wolfstar  
> regulus and sirius are talking again bc they homies now  
> Fuck the supremacist and most incestuous house of black   
> gang gang  
> what year is it???? 1982-83 yes thats it i had to write it out bc im Hopeless  
> remus definitely took a photo of pads when he was in the cage and tacked it onto the wall . definitely. yes i will be writing about it thank you for asking
> 
> (i did not write about it but will eventually,,,)

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! i hope you enjoyed. i'm probably going to write one or two other chapters where they all talk about what happened!! 
> 
> if you liked this, check out my other harry potter fics and my avatar: the last airbender fic!
> 
> <3


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